The Mandalorian

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Woodclaw
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The Mandalorian

Post by Woodclaw »

Since none else started this discussion, here we go.

Before going in I have to lay down some fact: I'm not big about Star Wars. I enjoy the classic trilogy when I was a kid and I still own a full VHS set with the first re-cut done by Lucas in the 90s, but that was about it. As for the rest of the franchise... I acknowledge it exist... mostly. My biggest gripe has always been that no Star Wars movie ever gave me the feeling of a galaxy at war. In spite of the title, the war often felt like a backdrop for the soap opera struggle between Jedi and Sith. The only movie that really got me pumped, after the originals, has been Rogue One. Why? Because it broke the fucking mold and showed that there still an entire galaxy worth of characters and stories to explore.
Now, The Mandalorian has that same feeling: the Galaxy is that of Star Wars, the characters fit within that narrative, but the story is something different. Like Rogue One, the first episode of the series gave me the senso of how vast and complex the Galaxy of Star Wars is. This series seems to have its own tone and style: it feels like a Sergio Leone's western, it's a story without a good guy set in a dirty and merciless slice of the Galaxy, where everyone has an agenda and an allegiance... mostly not to Empire or the (yet to be born) New Republic.
In short, this series is what Solo aimed to be.
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Voltron64
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Re: The Mandalorian

Post by Voltron64 »

New episode out today, thoughts?
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Re: The Mandalorian

Post by greycrusader »

Still think they missed the obvious protagonist of such a series, namely Boba Fett.
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Re: The Mandalorian

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Voltron64 wrote: Fri Nov 15, 2019 5:05 pm New episode out today, thoughts?
While this second episode didn't have the wow factor of the first, it still managed be a very solid entry. So far the Mandalorian has shown to be extremely proficient in some fields (mostly shooting and piloting), a complete inept in others (speaking Jawas) and have some rusty skill (riding and fixing ships) that required him to ask for help, which is a really good way to set some character development.
Kuiil is a interesting mentor-ish figure, being old and experienced, but also a bit snarky and the farewell between him and the bounty hunter was a really nice moment. Both characters showed a degree of respect for the other, but neither seemed willing to go out on a limb to follow the others... at least for now.
The child was the most obvious complication for the entire story. Given his potential as a game-changer, I feared that his/her presence (we don't know the gender yet) would dominate the entire storyline. So far I think the writers handled him pretty well. The set-up has some obvious Lone Wolf and Cub vibes, up to the point of the child showing some abilities that should be way over his/her apparent age (although we know he/she is already past 50). Alos these abilites seem to be some kind of one-shot GM-fiat moments that can't be replicated at will, which is also very good.
greycrusader wrote: Sat Nov 16, 2019 1:12 am Still think they missed the obvious protagonist of such a series, namely Boba Fett.
I believe that was a conscious decision meant to avoid potential problems with continuity (the Expanded Universe is no longer canon so Boba Fett is still inside the Sarlacc for all we know) and with the fact that the position of Fett among the Mandalorians has always been somewhat problematic.
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Ares
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Re: The Mandalorian

Post by Ares »

greycrusader wrote: Sat Nov 16, 2019 1:12 am Still think they missed the obvious protagonist of such a series, namely Boba Fett.
There's a rumor that George Lucas gets a royalty check any time they use the characters he created, which might be why this series involves a Mandalorian and IG-Series Assassin Droid that aren't Boba Fett and IG-88. Though with Boba Fett, I can see them not going with him simply because he's basically a hybrid of Batman, Iron Man and John Wick, hyper competent in the extreme and not a good source of humor. With the Mandalorian, it sounds like they wanted a guy who was more of an "average" Mandalorian, maybe even a sub-par one.
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Ares
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Re: The Mandalorian

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Well, I just finished episode 1 and I'm ridiculously happy. Dave Filoni is someone who has a long history with Star Wars and has mostly done some solid work with it, even if I have some issues with his take on the Force.

But this episode really shows the strength of Star Wars and how diverse a setting it is. Star Wars was always this wonderful hodge-podge of Film Serial Science Fiction, Swashbuckling Adventure, Samurai epic, Wuxia mysticism, and Spaghetti Western . . . iiiinnnn spaaaAAACCCCE. It's very reminiscent of Rogue One in a lot of respects, and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next episode.

It's a shame Batgirl III doesn't hang out here as much, this is a series she'd probably really enjoy. Not a space wizard in sight.
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Re: The Mandalorian

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Just watch both episodes back to back and must say, this feels like a real gem. Very much loving the tone and feeling it all. I like how it also gives an impression on what common galactic citizens know regarding The Force and Jedi in general, which is... Well, nothing. It seems to make sense in a way.
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Re: The Mandalorian

Post by Ares »

Watching episode 3 right now. It's ridiculous how adorable they make the child.

Edit: Man, I am getting serious John Wick/Lone Wolf and Cub vibes from this show, and it's AWESOME.

Edit 2: Holy SHIT but that last action sequence. I mean, I don't want to spoil anything, but DAMN!
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Re: The Mandalorian

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Got an 89% Critic / 95% fan rating on Rotten Tomatoes, everyone I've talked to loves the show, I keep waiting for something to go wrong and . . . oh look. Anita's back and complaining that there wasn't enough female representation in the show, and talking about how the show promotes patriarchy while demonizing John Favreau. Glad That Star Wars Girl and others didn't let her get away with that nonsense. And dataracer117 actually complied a bunch of Tweets likewise complaining about the lack of women giving them some existential crisis.

I'm going to let my 5th favorite Jedi* handle this. Master Qui-Gon?

Image

*For those curious, my top Jedi go Luke, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Plo Koon and then Qui-Gon.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
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Voltron64
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Re: The Mandalorian

Post by Voltron64 »

Ares wrote: Sat Nov 23, 2019 7:13 am Got an 89% Critic / 95% fan rating on Rotten Tomatoes, everyone I've talked to loves the show, I keep waiting for something to go wrong and . . . oh look. Anita's back and complaining that there wasn't enough female representation in the show, and talking about how the show promotes patriarchy while demonizing John Favreau. Glad That Star Wars Girl and others didn't let her get away with that nonsense. And dataracer117 actually complied a bunch of Tweets likewise complaining about the lack of women giving them some existential crisis.

I'm going to let my 5th favorite Jedi* handle this. Master Qui-Gon?

Image

*For those curious, my top Jedi go Luke, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Plo Koon and then Qui-Gon.
Clearly Anita is too impatient to wait for when Gina Carano and Ming-na Wen’s characters show up.
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Re: The Mandalorian

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Voltron64 wrote: Sat Nov 23, 2019 8:02 pm
Ares wrote: Sat Nov 23, 2019 7:13 am Got an 89% Critic / 95% fan rating on Rotten Tomatoes, everyone I've talked to loves the show, I keep waiting for something to go wrong and . . . oh look. Anita's back and complaining that there wasn't enough female representation in the show, and talking about how the show promotes patriarchy while demonizing John Favreau. Glad That Star Wars Girl and others didn't let her get away with that nonsense. And dataracer117 actually complied a bunch of Tweets likewise complaining about the lack of women giving them some existential crisis.

I'm going to let my 5th favorite Jedi* handle this. Master Qui-Gon?

Image

*For those curious, my top Jedi go Luke, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Plo Koon and then Qui-Gon.
Clearly Anita is too impatient to wait for when Gina Carano and Ming-na Wen’s characters show up.
It's also clearly ignoring the female Mandalorian blacksmith, the highest ranking Mandalorusn there, who had a speaking role. Done just so she can cry about patriarchy and how mean people are for pointing out that she was wrong. The woman remains a professional victim, and worse, she's inspired others to do the same.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
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Re: The Mandalorian

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Okay, so the second season of Mandalorian has started, and it's off to a great start. Might be one of the only things outside of my family that I've enjoyed about 2020.

I'm probably going to go on a longer ramble about what I loved about the series as a whole later, but for right now, I'm thoroughly enjoying the series and it shows how you can do a Star Wars show without having the Empire/Republic War be the central theme, or without a Force User as the main protagonist, much like Rogue One did.

And for those that enjoy the series, I'd recommend taking a look at the Disney Gallery: Mandalorian series that examines everything that went into the show's creation. It's amazing how the people directly involved in the series have so much love for the franchise and the effort they put into it.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Voltron64
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Re: The Mandalorian

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Well Season 2's done. Thoughts?
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Woodclaw
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Re: The Mandalorian

Post by Woodclaw »

Voltron64 wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 9:00 pm Well Season 2's done. Thoughts?
I liked it more and less than season one.
On one hand, the story is now much more connected to the general SW universe, but on the other some of the stories felt a tad forced (pardon the pun).
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Re: The Mandalorian

Post by NoOneofConsequence »

I have yet to see the show, save for a few clips. However, one of those clips was a bunch of fan reactions to the season two climax. I'm sure everyone knows what I am talking about here. Seeing it makes me want to go watch the entire show. In addition, it reminded me of why I loved Star Wars in the first place. I have honestly not felt this way about anything Star Wars related since just before Phantom Menace came out, save partially the original KotOR game. So I just want to take the time to bask in the moment, until Disney craps all over the property the next chance they get.
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